Residency sergeant jailed for accepting bribes

Court orders accused to repay Dh445,000 of uncollected fines to the directorate

Aresidency officer has been jailed three years for acceptin gDh 30,000 in bribes from two persons to issue nine exit permits for illegal residents and not collecting Dh445,000 in pending violations.

The Emirati defendant, who worked a sergeant for the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), had abused his job and accepted bribes from the two persons, a Bangladeshi businessmen aged 35 and his countryman, a public relations officer, in December 2015.

Yesterday, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the Emirati defendant of abusing his job at GDRFA, requesting Dh30,000 in bribes to access the e-system and issue exit permits to nine illegal residents.

He was also convicted of deliberately causing a loss in public funds worth Dh445,000, the total of unpaid residency violations that had been committed by the nine illegal residents.

Records said the nine illegal residents, four Bangladeshis, three Pakistanis and two Indians, remain at large.

Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal ordered the defendant to repay Dh445,000 to GDRFA and also fined him Dh445,000 that he has to jointly pay along with the Bangladeshi duo.

The Bangladeshi businessman and the PRO were jailed for one year each, along with hefty fines. The Bangladeshi duo will be deported after their punishment.